Expansion-coupling.



HOMER D. WILLIAMS AND WILLIAM AHLEN, 0F DUQUESNE, PENNSYLVANA.

EXRAN SION-COUPLIN G.

1,220,483, Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted Mama 27, 191170 pApplication led November 22, 1913. Serial No. 802,464..

To all whom'z't may concern Be it known that we,l 'HoMER D. WIL- iLIAMs, a citizen ofthe United States, and

WILLIAM AHLEN, a subject of the King of Sweden, both residing atDuquesne, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Expansion-Coupling, of which the following isa specification.

Our invention relates to the class of appliances known .as shaftcouplings, and employed vin securing the adjoining ends of two powershafts together in such manner that rotary motion imparted to one shaftis transmitted by the coupling to the^other shaft, and the inventionmore particularly relates to expansion couplings in which provision ismade-for relative lengthwise movement -of the connected shafts due tolineal expansion and contraction of the shafts.

The coupling forming our invention is particularly adapted for use withshafts eX- tending lengthwise beneath and forming part of the drivingmechanism of cooling beds and similar apparatus by which a large numberof highly heated bars are transferred transversely of their length,while being cooled, from one side` to the other of the cooling bed, andin which location the shafts and couplings are subjected to an intenseheat radiated by the heated materials being handled and cooled 'upon thehot beds.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1is a plan partly in section showing an expansion cou,

v pling as constructed and arranged and applied for use to connect theadjoining ends of two shafts,- in accordance with this invention. Fig. 3is an end elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 '1s asectional plan showing the manner in which the parts forming thecoupling are assembled in one stage of the manufacturev of thecouplings. s

In the accompanying drawings, the numerals 2 and 3 designate two shafts,the ends of which are connected to ether by means of our improvedcoupling. 2 has an enlarged end forming ailanget, which as shown, isformed integral erewith and this flange 4 is provided in one end with arecess 5.

The shaft 3 has a disk rigidly secured thereon to forma flange 6, asshown, a key 7 being employed to secure the flange on the shaft.

he shaft The flange 6 is arranged to be positioned within the recess 5in the flange 4c and the periphery of the flange 6 is provided Iwith aplurality of semi-cylindrical transversely eX- tending grooves 8 whichregister with similar semi-cylindrical grooves 9 in the side surface ofthe recess 5 in the flange 4. The flange 6 is turned or lmachined to asize which will permit it to enter the recess 5 which also is bored ormachined, these parts being made to form a neat sliding fit so thatthere will be little or no angular movement therebetween, while relativelengthwise movement in a direction parallel to the length of the shaftsis permitted to care for expansion and contraction of the coupledshafts.

Positioned within the .registering pairs of recesses 8 and 9, whichtogether form cylindrical openings, are cylindrical 'pins 10, which areemployed to prevent relative angular movement of one shaft relative tothe other when the parts are assembled to connect the ends. of twoshafts together, and

- through which rotary motion is transmitted Vby the flange 6 on one tothe flange 4: on the other shaft.

In constructing the couplings the flange 6 is machined tothe desireddiameter and the flange 4 on the shaft 2 is bored or machined -to formthe recess 5- therein to the required holes exactly parallel and inalinement with the longitudinal center of the central openings in thedisks 6 or, what is the same thing, the axial center of the shafts towhich the parts are fastened later.

It will be noted that the bottoms of the so-formed holes do not extendto what is then the inner end of the flange 6 so that when the parts areassembled as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the pins '10 are held within Y therecesses in which they are placed and cannot be removed so long as theflange 6 eX- tends within the recess 5 in the flange l of the shaft 2. v

In the use of our improved coupling the parts are constructed as has'been described lill] l ed in the relative position shown. Wheninserting the fiange' 6 within the recess 5 the pins 10 are placedwithin the grooves 8 in this flange and the iange is then movedforwardly until its inner face isv flush with vthe end of the shaft 3,the key 7 then being driven into place.

It will be readily seen 'that whenever relative lengthwise movement ofthe shafts occurs, at least one of which is usually of considerablelength, the fiange 6 will move freely axially `Within the recess 5 inthe f -fiange 4 due to the expansion and contraction of the shafts,while the pins 10 in the holes formed by the grooves or recesses 8 and 9will positively prevent relative angular movement of the shafts andcause-these shafts to rotate in unison when power is applied to either.l

The advantages of our invention arise from 'the simplicity of thecoupling, the small'cost thereof, and ease with which the parts can beconstructed and assembled.

By reason of the fact that the head 6 on the shaft 3 fills radially thesocket 4 on the shaft 2, the two shafts are maintained in longitudinalalinement in a very simple and eiiicientmanner, while the keys l0radially filling the grooves 8 and 9, interlock the head and the socketVagainst independent rotation, and thereby compel the two shafts torotate simultaneously.

By having an enlarged head 6 and an enlarged socket 4, the keys 10 arelocated at a considerable distance from the peripheries of the shafts,whereby power is transferred from one shaft to the other shaft in themost'l effective manner. are substantially non-fiexible or non-elas- Thekeys 10 tic so as to-positively interlock the shafts against independentrotation. While these keys fill the combined grooves radially, each keyis somewhat shorter than each groove, whereby endwise play of the head)6within thesocket 4 is permitted for the purpose of compensating forexpansionL and contraction.

Modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts may bemade without departing from dur invention. The flange on the shaft'2 maybe formed separate therefrom and keyed to this shaft lin the same manneras shown for fastening the flange 6 on the shaft 3, instead of, asshown, forming the flange 4 integral with the shaft 2, and other changesmay be made. within the scope of the appended claim.

The combination of a pair of alined shafts, one shaft having a terminalenlarged socket fixed thereon, the other shaft having a terminalenlarged head fixed thereon and radially filling the socket, wherebyaline ment of the shafts is preserved, the inner periphery of the socketand the outer periphery of the head having registered grooves extendingin substantial parallelism with the shafts, the outer end of`the groovein the socket being open and the inner end being closed, the inner endof the groove in the head being vopen and the outer end being closed,and a substantially non-fiexible key radially filling the registeredgrooves and of a length less than that .of each groove, whereby theshafts are locked against independent rotation and are capable ofindependent endwise movement to compensate for expansion andcontraction.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands.

HOMER D. WILLIAMS.

, WILLIAM AHLEN,

Witnesses:

CHARLEs MCK. MOORE, GEORGE L. NEFF.

